Alien: Covenant Concept Art Reveals Early Neomorph Design

A fresh batch of Alien: Covenant concept art reveals some early designs for the new Neomorph creatures. Ridley Scott delivered a satisfying return to the Alien franchise with Covenant, as the sequel did not skimp on the gore and visceral terror that has made the saga so enduring for sci-fi and horror fans. It also offered something fresh with the new Neomorph aliens, which reminded fans of the classic Xenomorph aliens while also having its own distinctive look.

It may come as a surprise that for the Neomorphs, the concept art team behind Alien: Covenant was essentially tasked with designing an entirely new take on the aliens altogether. While the team still needed to retain H.R. Giger’s distinctively nightmarish look of the original Xenomorphs, their Neomorph designs had to take the monsters in new directions. A slew of concept art designs gives a glimpse into how the team pulled it off.

Collider exclusively reported the concept art on Thursday, revealing early Neomorph designs from various stages of development. There are a couple of rough sketches of both a Neomorph and Xenomorph, plus some more detailed later concepts. One of the drawings makes particular note of the Neomorph’s “very lean body” and “translucent skin,” which of course ended up as part of the final design. The concept art also includes some stunning designs of the actual planet that the monsters inhabit.

The newly released concept art was created by Los Angeles-based MPC, which also did concepts for Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Kong: Skull Island. The crew explained to Collider how they went about creating a new alien that would have an entirely new look while also reminding fans of the classic Xenomorphs:

For this movie, Scott wanted the freedom to move away from the ‘guy in a suit’ look of the Xenomorph from the original film and create a more unnatural version of the creature. The Xenomorph needed to have non-human proportions and its own physical signature but still be recognisable as the original Alien.

MPC also used real-life references like goblin sharks and praying mantises to aid them in their Neomorph designs. You can see the influences shine through in the concept art released by Collider. As an Alien movie that exists between the timelines of Prometheus and the 1979 original, the Neomorph was an effective way to connect to the classic Xenomorphs while also giving fans something new.

However, the Neomorphs alone weren’t quite enough to make Alien: Covenant catch on like 20th Century Fox may have hoped. Covenant is a solid addition to the franchise, but it’s not nearly as fresh or memorable as earlier entries. That was reflected in the movie’s relatively modest box office performance. Still, these Neomorph concepts are certainly interesting for fans to check out as they learn more about how the Neomorphs came to be.